History of Osceola Township, Stark County, IlFrom: Stark County Illinois and its People
J. Knox Hill, Supervising Editor.
The Pioneer Publishing Company
Chicago 1916

OSCEOLA TOWNSHIP

The Township of Osceola occupies the northeastern corner of the county, including Congressional township 14,
range 7. It is bounded on the north and east by Bureau County; on the south by Penn Township, and on the west by
the Township of Elmira. The East Fork of the Spoon River flows diagonally across the township from northeast to
southwest, Silver Creek drains the northeastern portion and across the southern part Cooper's Defeat Creek flows
westwardly until it empties into the East Fork in section 31. More than 80 per cent of the 23,040 acres of land
lying within this township is capable of being cultivated and yields abundant crops, owing to the great fertility
of the soil. When the first white men came to this part of the county they found here a beautiful prairie, which
may account in a great measure for the large number of soldiers' land warrants being filed between the years 1817
and 1820. In those years lands were entered in this township by veterans of the War of 1812 as follows:

The eighty seven soldiers' claims of 160 acres each absorbed 13,920 acres, or a little more than 60 per cent of
the entire township. When actual settlers began to come in there were several disputes and law suits over title
to the lands, which retarded to some extent the development of the township. The vexed question was finally settled,
however, and since then Osceola has grown to be one of the wealthiest, most populous and prosperous townships of
Stark County.

When the first settlers came to the township in 1835 they found a beautiful grove in the northwestern part, extending
into what is now Elmira Township, and it was here that they located. At that time the Seminole Indians in Florida
were at war with the United States under the leadership of the half breed chief, Osceola. This chief was the son
of a white man named Willis Powell and a Creek squaw. He was born in Georgia, but while he was still in his youth
his mother deserted her own tribe and joined the Seminoles. Some of the early settlers, admiring the skill and
bravery of the adopted chief in resisting the removal of the Seminoles from their favorite hunting grounds in Florida,
named the grove "Osceola Grove," and this name was afterward conferred upon the civil township established
in 1853.

The first land entries made by actual settlers were in the grove above mentioned and along the East Fork of the
Spoon River. Nicholas Sturm and Henry Seely located claims in section 28 in 1835. The following year Robert and
William Hall entered land in section 6; James Bushel in section 7; Isaac Spencer, section 18; James Clark and Samuel
Love, section 19; Mathias Sturm, section 21, and Joseph Newton, section 28. In 1837 Myrtle G. Brace located in
section 6, John Watts in section 19, and W. H. Boardman in section 31.

Although Osceola is an agricultural community, considerable coal mining has been done in the township. As early
as 1861 John McLaughlin was mining coal at a place known as Foster's coal bank, about two and a half miles west
of Bradford, and there were other mines along the Spoon River and about Lombardville. A more complete account of
the mining interests of the county will be found in the chapter on Finance and Industry.

The Buda & Rushville branch of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railway system runs through the eastern
part of the township, with stations at Bradford and Lombardville. and furnishes transportation facilities to the
people living east of the Spoon River.

The first election of school trustees in Osceola Township was on June 3, 1846, when Liberty Stone, I. W Searl and
Zebulon Avery were elected. Immediately after their election the trustees divided the township into three school
districts. In 1915 there were nine public school buildings, valued at $10,800, and during the preceding school
year sixteen teachers were employed. The population of the township in 1910, including the incorporated Village
of Bradford, was 1,577, and in 1914 the property was valued for tax purposes at $1,090,874.

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